Compulsion | PO Box 19577 | Kilbarchan |Johnstone | PA10 2WX | Scotland | UK



Black Sun Productions - Astral Walk

Black Sun Productions is an international collective of radical artists producing works centred on magick and sex. Pierce and Massimo, the central figures behind the collective, are two heavily pierced and tattooed former prostitutes. They used to run a notorious sex club in their home city of Zurich but ceased activities in 2004. They're now dedicating their art to private sex performances and erotic art productions. In 2002 they forged a relationship with Coil, which led to Massimo and Pierce's performance work becoming an integral part of the live Coil set-up during Coil's first ever tour throughout Europe.

Massimo and Pierce began a series of private sex performances under the title of Plastic Spider Thing; ritual sex workings using bondage, cling film and Polaroid snaps. Their website (www.black-sun-productions.com) documents the 23 rituals they conducted between 2002 and 2004 and provides further evidence and information on their varied sexual activities. Their inaugural release was a ritual work drawn from past Coil albums and remixed by Black Sun Production collaborator DraZen. It was commissioned as a soundtrack to Plastic Spider Thing and released on Coil's Eskaton label.

Astral Walk, their current release, likewise, is a soundtrack to Plastic Spider Thing (Part XXII) this time conceived by Pierce. However, the palette of sounds utilised resembles closely the work of Coil, and as such Astral Walk never manages to stray from its Coil associations. Shuddering and vibrating electronics, misshapen and alien rhythms and sidereal droning largely define Astral Walk. Rhythm and sounds are constantly reused and recycled throughout Astral Walk. A dark industrialised working of Soft Cell's 'Macabre (Meet Murder My Angel)', with Pierce's erotic whisperings is the only track to break the cohesiveness of this instrumental soundtrack. Astral Walk isn't a bad release by any means but it's basically the sounds of the Musick To Play In the Dark volumes dissected and reassembled in a lazy, long drawn out manner. Coil fans will undoubtedly find the sounds and textures interesting but in its entirety there's little development or anything particularly special added. As a result this unintended and uninspired homage largely pales when compared to the output of Coil. With the unfortunate passing of Jhonn Balance, Coil completists will wish to follow this up the rest of you would be advised to wait for the next Black Sun Productions release, operettAmorale, which features contributions from Coil, Lydia Lunch and HR Giger. For more information go to www.finalmuzik.com